# Instant Pot stuff



## glhs837

Man, keep finding how awesome this thing is. Cheesecake like I would never imagine I could make, full blown NY style. Baby back Ribs that fall off the bone in less than 45 minutes including the dry rub and five minutes in the broiler after the IP. Last night we pressure steamed some lobster tails followed by shrimp for an early Valentines day treat. Set it up with steel cut oats and water the night before on delay start, wake up to an awesome breakfast.


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## vraiblonde

Tell me more about the cheesecake.  How did you do it?


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## glhs837

https://thisoldgal.com/pressure-cooker-new-york-cheesecake/

This was the recipe I followed. Including the Tips link. Pic is mine. Wife and daughter inhaled thiers the next day, I saved a second piece of mine for the day after and it tasted even better. 




First time I ever made a cheesecake that wasnt Jello Instant  The only things I might do different is to actually heat the graham cracker crust instead of refrigerate it, and place it on a convex surface when covered in the fridge so condensation from the lid rolls down and away.  But even at that, it was some of the best cheesecake I've ever had.


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## mAlice

Okay, I caved.  I bought an Instant Pot.  Between work and chores at home, and a not so healthy MIL just moving in, I need something that will get me back in the kitchen, and out of the freezer section of the grocery store.  Somebody point me to the recipes!


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## glhs837

mAlice said:


> Okay, I caved.  I bought an Instant Pot.  Between work and chores at home, and a not so healthy MIL just moving in, I need something that will get me back in the kitchen, and out of the freezer section of the grocery store.  Somebody point me to the recipes!



I joined a FB group "Instant Pot Recipes Only" and so recipies cross my feed on a regular basis. Ones that catch our eye, we'll pull up an either use them or go find versions we like better. The above is great cheesecake. When we find one we like, it gets printed and put into the binder my daughter made up mockingly titled "With the Instant Pot (TM) You do have TIME!!!!"  One of the go tos is simple hard boiled eggs so we always have some on hand. 

Here's the keeper baby back rib recipe. 

https://iwashyoudry.com/instant-pot-baby-back-pork-ribs/

We did crank the pressure cook time up from 35 to 40 minutes, but otherwise didnt change a thing. Used the BOGO ribs from Haerris Teeter and man, what a deal


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## mAlice

glhs837 said:


> I joined a FB group "Instant Pot Recipes Only" and so recipies cross my feed on a regular basis. Ones that catch our eye, we'll pull up an either use them or go find versions we like better. The above is great cheesecake. When we find one we like, it gets printed and put into the binder my daughter made up mockingly titled "With the Instant Pot (TM) You do have TIME!!!!"  One of the go tos is simple hard boiled eggs so we always have some on hand.
> 
> Here's the keeper baby back rib recipe.
> 
> https://iwashyoudry.com/instant-pot-baby-back-pork-ribs/
> 
> We did crank the pressure cook time up from 35 to 40 minutes, but otherwise didnt change a thing. Used the BOGO ribs from Haerris Teeter and man, what a deal



Thanks!


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## vraiblonde

glhs837 said:


> https://thisoldgal.com/pressure-cooker-new-york-cheesecake/
> 
> This was the recipe I followed. Including the Tips link. Pic is mine. Wife and daughter inhaled thiers the next day, I saved a second piece of mine for the day after and it tasted even better.
> 
> First time I ever made a cheesecake that wasnt Jello Instant  The only things I might do different is to actually heat the graham cracker crust instead of refrigerate it, and place it on a convex surface when covered in the fridge so condensation from the lid rolls down and away.  But even at that, it was some of the best cheesecake I've ever had.



Thanks!


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## LightRoasted

If I may ...

I thought pressure cookers are used to make bombs?


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## glhs837

LightRoasted said:


> If I may ...
> 
> I thought pressure cookers are used to make bombs?



Well, they can be. In the "normal" pressure cooker bomb usage the pressure cooker, having exceptionally thick walls and a robust sealing mechainsm, is used becuase those attibutes act as blast enhanchers, a magnified version of the effet you get by placing an M80 in a mailbox. With the added "benefit" that the walls of the pressure cooker shatter and make additional shrapnel. 

But this product, while it is a pressure cooker and could be made into a bomb, has 10 distinct safety mechainsms baked right in to prevent it from becoming an accidental bomb. 

http://instantpot.us/benefits/safety-features/


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## vraiblonde

LightRoasted said:


> If I may ...
> 
> I thought pressure cookers are used to make bombs?



No.  They are used to make hard boiled eggs.


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## vraiblonde

I'm making steelcut oats in my IP right now.  OMG it smells so good!


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## glhs837

vraiblonde said:


> I'm making steelcut oats in my IP right now.  OMG it smells so good!



For how long? I've done that twice and not been super happy with the tnederness. Did a meatloaf a few days back, then mashed potatoes the next day


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## vraiblonde

glhs837 said:


> For how long? I've done that twice and not been super happy with the tnederness. Did a meatloaf a few days back, then mashed potatoes the next day



Low pressure for 10 minutes seems to be the way to go, then let it depressure itself. 

How'd you make the meatloaf?


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## glhs837

vraiblonde said:


> Low pressure for 10 minutes seems to be the way to go, then let it depressure itself.
> 
> How'd you make the meatloaf?



Basic a standing cylinder with a loose foil wrap that leaves enough space on the sides for steam to get up around it with half the ketchup based red sauce on it. After coming out of the pot, I sliced it  half onto a baking sheet making two haly cylinders, brushed it with the rest of the red sauce and broiled it a few minutes to crunch it up a bit.  That doubled the amount of "burnt ends", which we all love. 

https://www.thecountrycook.net/the-best-instant-pot-meatloaf-and-little-potatoes/


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## Clem72

Don't use mine as much as I would like. Lost the dang silicone ring and haven't got around to replacing it.  My go to recipes were ribs, and stew.  Stew is just too easy.  I'm don't like 100 step recipes so I tend to stick to the easy stuff.  I did however make a good lamb shank in red wine sauce with the Instant Pot.


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## glhs837

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078VJXS1...95&hvtargid=aud-416395350856:pla-417895276045

Here, get two, they're small  Color coded so you can reserve one for stinky smelly stuff with garlic (talk about flavor infusion, the mashed potates I made with fresh garlic were amazing. And keep one for stuff like boiling eggs and oats and such. Sine it doesnt flavor the food, I haven't bothered but I get it.


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## glhs837

So, first time trying poached eggs, was super happy. 

sprayed ramekins with non-stick spray, steam setting for three minutes, came out easy with a thin scraper.


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## vraiblonde

I poach eggs in the microwave because I'm lazy.

That's a good idea about the different rings


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## glhs837

vraiblonde said:


> I poach eggs in the microwave because I'm lazy.
> 
> That's a good idea about the different rings



Never could be bothered to find the right settings in the nuker. I hate "for about a minute", knowing that I'm gonna have to fiddle with that time. And fishing the egg out of the water? Not this guy


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## vraiblonde

So who's still using their Instant Pot?


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## glhs837

vraiblonde said:


> So who's still using their Instant Pot?



Just did a rack of Baby Backs Sunday......... boy makes jasmine rice a lot, I'm doing more poached eggs in the am.


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## vraiblonde

glhs837 said:


> Just did a rack of Baby Backs Sunday......... boy makes jasmine rice a lot, I'm doing more poached eggs in the am.



Monello made Indian Butter Chicken the other day, and I do HBEs regularly.  I did ribs a few weeks ago, then charred them on the grill - OMG!


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## singlechen

vraiblonde said:


> No.  They are used to make hard boiled eggs.



It's a pretty amazing contraption. I've used it to make whole chicken the way I used to do it with a slow cooker. The pressure can help speed up the process if you are in a pinch for time.


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## getbent

So, I'm interested in one.  What brands, sizes, etc does everyone use?  I'd mainly be interested in using it for main dishes or things that would normally take a long time.


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## glhs837

getbent said:


> So, I'm interested in one.  What brands, sizes, etc does everyone use?  I'd mainly be interested in using it for main dishes or things that would normally take a long time.



So, Instant Pot is a brand name, and the best known. Others have come after them, especially the slow cooker folks, who have seen sales tumble. Evidently Crock Pots pressure cooker is a pretty solid effort, from the last head to head I've seen. Unless you are cooking for a family of four, big eaters odds are pretty good a six quart will do you fine.


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## getbent

glhs837 said:


> So, Instant Pot is a brand name, and the best known. Others have come after them, especially the slow cooker folks, who have seen sales tumble. Evidently Crock Pots pressure cooker is a pretty solid effort, from the last head to head I've seen. Unless you are cooking for a family of four, big eaters odds are pretty good a six quart will do you fine.



We are a family of four.  I try not to have too many leftovers though.  One kid refuses to eat them, the other only eats certain things leftover, I'm somewhere in the middle and hubby will eat it all, lol.


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## Bonehead

Off topic but here goes. Anyone use an air fryer which brand and capacity ? I have cruised amazon but every one of the appliances has a significant number of negative reviews. What works for you ?


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## glhs837

Bonehead said:


> Off topic but here goes. Anyone use an air fryer which brand and capacity ? I have cruised amazon but every one of the appliances has a significant number of negative reviews. What works for you ?



"Air Fryer"? Like Non-alcoholic beer.....


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## PeoplesElbow

Bonehead said:


> Off topic but here goes. Anyone use an air fryer which brand and capacity ? I have cruised amazon but every one of the appliances has a significant number of negative reviews. What works for you ?



I have use a small (probably smallest one) generic one.  It actually does a great job on things like frozen onion rings and fries.  

It is just a mini convection oven, nothing special about it.


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## MR47930

PeoplesElbow said:


> I have use a small (probably smallest one) generic one.  It actually does a great job on things like frozen onion rings and fries.
> 
> It is just a mini convection oven, nothing special about it.


Same. Thought it worked great for fries and homemade chicken tenders.
Now I want an instant pot! 
Not to get off topic again, but does anyone have or have tried a sous vide cooker? Seems like an awesome way to cook steaks and other red meat .


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## vraiblonde

getbent said:


> So, I'm interested in one.  What brands, sizes, etc does everyone use?  I'd mainly be interested in using it for main dishes or things that would normally take a long time.



I went overboard and got the Ultra 10 function.  It has a bunch of presets that I don't care about because you can program it manually to pressure, slow cook, saute, etc, with low/med/high or set your own temp, and how many minutes.

6 qts is right for us.  If we were a family of four, it would still be right; any more humans and we'd need a bigger pot.


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## vraiblonde

MR47930 said:


> Not to get off topic again, but does anyone have or have tried a sous vide cooker? Seems like an awesome way to cook steaks and other red meat .



I got my daughter a sous vide for Christmas and she uses it frequently. But she and the boyfriend are foodie cooking people who dream of having a professional kitchen set-up.


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## mAlice

*Oh my...gotta' try*

I saw this jam on a grilled cheese sammich.  It looks devine!

https://recipes.instantpot.com/recipe/bacon-onion-jam/


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## glhs837

https://www.thewickednoodle.com/instant-pot-lasagna/





Pic is mine from 20 minutes ago. You can pop it under the broiler, or maybe use a fancy chef blowtorch to brown the cheese. WE didnt bother. You know how lasagna is always better the second day after the flavors have time to get all together? Yeah, its like that right from the start.


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## vraiblonde

glhs837 said:


> https://www.thewickednoodle.com/instant-pot-lasagna/
> 
> 
> View attachment 123962
> 
> 
> Pic is mine from 20 minutes ago. You can pop it under the broiler, or maybe use a fancy chef blowtorch to brown the cheese. WE didnt bother. You know how lasagna is always better the second day after the flavors have time to get all together? Yeah, its like that right from the start.



That looks AMAZING!!!


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## glhs837

vraiblonde said:


> That looks AMAZING!!!



And it was. That's a six inch springfrom pan. Made enough that the wife and I each had a good serving for dinner, with enough left over for lunch for each of us today.


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## glhs837




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## vraiblonde

glhs837 said:


> View attachment 123965


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## glhs837

vraiblonde said:


>



Evidently the intersect between IP users and Cricut users is pretty high


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## MiaSia

glhs837 said:


> https://thisoldgal.com/pressure-cooker-new-york-cheesecake/
> 
> This was the recipe I followed. Including the Tips link. Pic is mine. Wife and daughter inhaled thiers the next day, I saved a second piece of mine for the day after and it tasted even better.
> 
> View attachment 121469
> 
> 
> First time I ever made a cheesecake that wasnt Jello Instant  The only things I might do different is to actually heat the graham cracker crust instead of refrigerate it, and place it on a convex surface when covered in the fridge so condensation from the lid rolls down and away.  But even at that, it was some of the best cheesecake I've ever had.



It looks soo delicious!!


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## Bonehead

Ok so our slow cooker went tango uniform yesterday and I plan to try out the Instant Pot as a replacement.

Which one do you IP gurus recommend ? As far as I can tell there are 3/6/8 quart capacities and 6 and 10 function pre set programs.

I normally just cook for 2, but sometimes I cook parts of a soup kitchen meal for 50.  Any comments welcome.


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## GURPS

Bonehead said:


> Which one do you IP gurus recommend ? As far as I can tell there are 3/6/8 quart capacities and 6 and 10 function pre set programs.




'most' recipes are designed for 6 qt. 

I bought this one:


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## jazz lady

It is just me but I like making stuff in larger quantities and freezing the leftovers.  The 6 quart is perfect and I bought this one:

Amazon product


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## General Lee

jazz lady said:


> It is just me but I like making stuff in larger quantities and freezing the leftovers.  The 6 quart is perfect and I bought this one:
> 
> Amazon product




What is your process for freezing liquid stuff such as soup? Containers, bags??


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## jazz lady

General Lee said:


> What is your process for freezing liquid stuff such as soup? Containers, bags??


I like using freezer bags as I can lay them flat and stack them.  Cheaper too and no containers to wash.  I have a separate chest freezer which holds lots of stuff.


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## General Lee

jazz lady said:


> I like using freezer bags as I can lay them flat and stack them.  Cheaper too and no containers to wash.  I have a separate chest freezer which holds lots of stuff.



Ok cool, thanks. Curious because I seem to waste a lot of stuff I make in the IP or crock pot. I have froze some things in containers but it didn't take long to get freezer burnt. Meats/solids I use the vacuum sealer. I think it has a "wet" sealing option but haven't tried it


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## jazz lady

General Lee said:


> Ok cool, thanks. Curious because I seem to waste a lot of stuff I make in the IP or crock pot. I have froze some things in containers but it didn't take long to get freezer burnt. Meats/solids I use the vacuum sealer. I think it has a "wet" sealing option but haven't tried it


The air around the food contributes to freezer burn.  I like the plastic freezer bags as I can get all the air out, flatten, and store.  I also wrap meat in plastic wrap tightly before putting it in a freezer plastic bag.



> *Freezer burn* is a condition that occurs when frozen food has been damaged by dehydration and oxidation, due to air reaching the food.[1] It is generally caused by food not being securely wrapped in air-tight packaging.











						Freezer burn - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


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## jazz lady

Doing a quick release of the steam scares the bejesus out of me, so I got this accessory and it works well!

Amazon product

You can direct the steam in any direction, especially away from you and/or your cabinets.


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## TCROW

If you've tried to cook vegetables like carrots or broccoli or really anything else that tends to disintegrate at seemingly low cook times, I found you can actually set the rig for 0 minutes of cooking. Even 1 minute takes broccoli, green beans, carrots, etc. too far gone and makes mush. On a whim, I tried to set it for 0 minutes and broccoli came out good. It's fully soft, but not mush. It basically comes up to pressure and then stops. I'm still not convinced it's worth the hassle to use the IP for these types of veg, but this was a revelation and makes passable broccoli.


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## Monello

jazz lady said:


> Doing a quick release of the steam scares the bejesus out of me, so I got this accessory and it works well!
> 
> Amazon product
> 
> You can direct the steam in any direction, especially away from you and/or your cabinets.



We should chip in and get 1 for the gal that has the neighbor that constantly knocks on her door.  A few blasts of steam would send her a message she isn't soon to forget.

I wonder if they make a 5 foot long model.


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## glhs837

Trying corned beef for St Paddys day, results later....


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## Bonehead

glhs837 said:


> Trying corned beef for St Paddys day, results later....


Mine turned out tough as nails, 62 minutes for a 2.67 pound brisket...


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## GWguy

Bonehead said:


> Mine turned out tough as nails, 62 minutes for a 2.67 pound brisket...


I did mine a little differently.  I used the crock pot, like always, but only put in enough water to cover the 'taters and cabbage, and sat the beef on top of the cabbage so it never hit the water.  It basically steamed, and came out really nice.


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## glhs837

Bonehead said:


> Mine turned out tough as nails, 62 minutes for a 2.67 pound brisket...



 Mine was about the same weight and I did 75 minutes, I think. Recipe I was using called for 90 minutes for 4lbs.


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## Bonehead

glhs837 said:


> Mine was about the same weight and I did 75 minutes, I think. Recipe I was using called for 90 minutes for 4lbs.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 135803


Yours looks perfect. Got it, more time ! I am going to buy another brisket to figure it out.


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## Bonehead

GWguy said:


> I did mine a little differently.  I used the crock pot, like always, but only put in enough water to cover the 'taters and cabbage, and sat the beef on top of the cabbage so it never hit the water.  It basically steamed, and came out really nice.



I plan to try this method as well, seems reasonable and you can check progress without releasing steam....


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## glhs837

Bonehead said:


> Yours looks perfect. Got it, more time ! I am going to buy another brisket to figure it out.



I went and double checked, it was 80 minutes, not 75.


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